The Kindle 2

Everyone knew Amazon would announce a successor to its popular Kindle
ebook reader. What people did not know was when. Thankfully, the time
between when the Kindle 2 was announced and when it started shipping
was short. Now that it has been released, it's time to put Amazon's
Linux-powered book reader to the test.

Like the original, the Kindle 2 is built around an e-ink display. The
dimensions of the display are the same, but every other aspect of
the device is either new or modified. Instead of being shaped like a
wedge, the Kindle 2 is a flat slab. Instead of a rubberized back, it has
brushed aluminum. Instead of angled rectangular keys in a split keyboard
configuration, it has circular keys in a rectangular grid. Instead of a
scroll wheel, it has a five-way thumbstick. Instead of four shades of gray,
it has 16. You get the idea.

Figure 1. The Kindle 2 is the length and width of a paperback book and
much thinner.

Figure 2. The screen size has stayed the same between
the two versions of the Kindle.

Things the Kindle 2 Does Better

Let's start with my favorite Kindle 2 improvement: battery life. Of all
the changes, this is the one I appreciate the most. With the wireless
turned on, I can use the Kindle for several days before having to charge
it. With the wireless turned off, I have to charge the Kindle only two
or three times a month. This is a vast improvement over the original
Kindle—when I did not have the charger with me, I had to be careful
never to
turn on the wireless except when I wanted to purchase something
or knew I had a subscription waiting for me to download. Turning on the
wireless on the original Kindle is a sure way to kill your battery life.

Another improvement is that newspapers and magazines are easier to navigate
on the Kindle 2. Instead of having to use the scroll wheel to select
links to jump between different articles, I can move the joystick to the
left or right anywhere on the page to jump between stories. Likewise,
a single click takes me to the section list.

Browsing Web sites also is better on the Kindle 2. The combination of
better graphics and a faster processor makes the experience tolerable. It
still could be improved, sure, but it is a definite step up from the
original. Web pages appear quicker and are much easier to navigate.

On the entertainment front, the Find the mines! (aka
Minesweeper)
game (that you can get to by pressing Alt-Shift-M) works much better on the
Kindle 2. For one thing, it's actually playable, which I consider to
be a requirement for games. The game works so well, I wish there were
more games. Hangman, Scrabble or some other word game would be nice,
for example.

Another improvement is that you now can attach notes to individual words,
thanks to the five-way joystick controller. The original Kindle let
you attach notes only to individual lines of text. Of course, that being said,
there aren't many instances where I have wanted multiple discrete notes
per line, but just in case I do, the feature is there. Unfortunately,
although the original Kindle can see the multiple notes per line that I
made on the Kindle 2, it can't select or edit them properly.

Things the Kindle 2 Does Differently

The power and USB ports have been combined on the Kindle 2. The included
power adapter is really just a standard USB-A to micro USB-B cable with
a wall adapter. The use of a micro USB end instead of the more common
mini USB that the original Kindle used is a disappointment, because I
can't use the same cable to connect both Kindles to my computer. A lot
of manufacturers are moving to micro USB, because although the width of the
plug is the same compared to mini USB, it has about half the height,
which makes it easier to incorporate into thinner devices. Two years from
now, I'll probably have lots of micro USB cables, because most devices will
have moved to it, and it won't be a big deal. Right now, the cable that
came with the Kindle 2 is my only micro USB cable, so I need to keep an
eye on it. At least Amazon did not do something stupid and create its
own custom connector. I also hope more manufacturers take Amazon's lead
and combine both the data and power cables. Fewer cables is good, and the
more devices I can charge with the exact same cable, the happier I'll be.

Figure 3. The Kindle 2 plug (bottom) is much smaller
than the plug for the original Kindle.

There is no longer a physical button for turning the Kindle's wireless on
and off. This has both good and bad sides to it. For one, if you attempt
to do something that needs the wireless, the Kindle 2 offers to turn
the wireless on for you. On the other hand, it takes more effort to turn
the wireless off now that it is not a physical switch. It takes only a
couple clicks from anywhere in the Kindle 2 interface, so it's not a
big deal. And, with the longer battery life, I don't need to stress as
much about leaving the wireless on like I did with the original Kindle.

Figure 4. There is no physical switch to turn the
wireless on and off, so the Kindle offers to turn it on for you if you
try to do something that requires it.

Comment viewing options

Two items to add to your Kindle 2 wishlist:
1) Password capability to keep device content private and secure.
2) Theft deterrence features, even if only to disable a Kindle reported lost or stolen. Amazon already has device serial number and remote access, how hard can it be to prevent unauthorized reset and reuse of a Kindle?

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